5 Under-$5 Decor Tricks To Upgrade Your New York Apartment

You might be on a budget, but you still care about mood lighting! About drama! About flair! At around $1.50 apiece in hardware stores, tall taper or pillar candles are shockingly affordable and an ornate way to add height (elegance!) to any table setting or sideboard. They also look particularly smart even when they’re not in use—suggesting that you’re the sort of sophisticated person who could (and might) throw a dinner party at any given moment. Purchase 12-inch candles in neutral colors—white, beige, grey, greige!—and arrange in a trio. More is more! You can use glasses or vases as a votive, just use a little melted wax to stick in the bottom. You could also (and should also) mix and match height. For even more elevation, stick the ends in empty wine bottles; it’s a nice excuse to rehash the pretty ones you chose just for the label, anyway.